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Taking the Fort
The following quest was run by Ewan on Saturday 28th of January 2012. Participants where: Ben (Samurai), Connor (Sorcerer), Cohen (Monk), Michael (Warlock), Clayton (Barbarian), Jason (Paladin) and Toby (Barbarian). The following account of event was submitted by Toby. Our adventure began at the One-Eared Bugbear Tavern in the City of Grey . Enjoying our cups and company we noticed that the unusually quiet and still Kai Samurai seemed to be distracted. Looking about we noticed another Kai at the bar. The two engaged in their native tongue for a brief moment before shifting to common. The stranger explained that it would be a great honour for him to assist the Samurai and so he gave the party information regarding the location of a good sized mana crystal at a abandoned fort a days journey from town. A rough map was also supplied. At the crack of dawn the next morning the party roused themselves and set off for the abandoned fort and the mana crystal hidden within. Later in the day as they party moved through a wooded area they where set upon by three hungry wolves. The Samurai quickly beheaded one of the wolves while the Goliath's used holds and grapples to snap the spines of the other two. A short while later each Goliath had a fresh wolf pelt added to their inventory. The group made good progress using their survival skills and knowledge of nature and by late afternoon arrived at the edge of a valley with the fort down below. A circular stone wall encased the fort with an earthen ramp on the inside to support the wall and allow the defenders to quickly move to the top of it. In the centre of the defensive circle was a low set stone structure. Guards where visibly patrolling the wall and it was decided to wait until dark before proceeding. There where two approaches to the fort, one was a path covered in prickly thorn bushes, the other a steep gravel embankment. The Rogue led the way down the pathway, stealthily clearing the bushes as he went. The majority of the party followed him. Except the Paladin. The Paladin attempted to slide down the gravel on his tower shield. With the guards alerted the crossbow bolts began to rain down upon the party. The Paladin quickly covered himself with his shield while the others hastily made for the tower wall. Some climbed the wall, others (Like the Monk) where tossed or assisted up by the Goliath. Once 'Seeksmore' (Toby's Goliath) was up top the Sorcerer cast Enlarge upon him, doubling his size. He quickly dispatched the bulk of the guards, using both Rage and Power Attack for enormous damage. The warlock did some damage with long range Eldritch blasts, he was the only character still standing on the hill looking over the fort. Once the combat was resolved the party had two captives. One unconscious the other with his hands bound. The conscious captive was questioned at length by the Sorcerer, looking for details as to why the mercenaries where in the area and where the Mana Crystal could be found. The captive was of little help. A barred iron door stood between the two Goliath characters and the inside of the fort. It did not last long, all but torn from it's hinges. Inside they where cautiously greeted by another Goliath, wielding two axes. He was from a different tribe than the twins, and to the shock of Seeksmore the Goliath's mottling (The dark and light patches of skin, rumoured to show ones fate) had been changed! When asked about it the Goliath grew angry so the twins let the subject drop (for now). They asked if they could have a look about inside the fort for the Mana Crystal they where seeking. The strange Goliath replied that he could not, as he had been hired to defend the fort. 'TriesHard' (Clayton's Goliath) then challenged the stranger (As is typical Goliath behaviour) for the rights to the Fort. As is traditional the battle was fort unarmoured and unarmed. It was a good fight, but eventually Trieshard exceeded the stranger. As Seeksmore was congratulating his brother, Trieshard was struck from behind by the strange goliath with an axe. Never in Goliath history had such a thing been heard of, it violated the very fabric of Goliath life. Seeksmore flew into a rage and bludgeoned the blasphemous Goliath to death, literally crushing his skull to bloody pulp with his bare hands. During this commotion the prisoner (with his hands still tied) ran away, past the Warlock. Thankfully Trieshard was not wounded too grievously but the party agreed to spend the remainder of the night inside the fort and rest. The crates and barrels inside the fort where searched, food stuffs and other basic supplies where discovered and so the party ate well that night. In the morning through prudent searching a trap door of sorts was discovered beneath some of the crates. Below as dark, but open cavern. While the Warlock and Paladin stood guard up top, the rest of the party entered the cave below. A single, naturally formed passage way led in one direction and so the party followed it. Despite becoming very narrow at one point the party eventually squeezed through and into a larger chamber, this one filled with stalactites and stalagmites. As they entered the chamber however, the sound of a cave-in echoed about them. The vertical shaft they had descended to enter the caves had suffered a slide and was now blocked. Pushing on regardless the party discovered that one of the stalagmites had been carved to form a type of large pedestal, on the top of this pedestal (Out of reach of even the Goliath's) was the Mana Crystal they all had been seeking. The Sorcerer quickly deduced a simple solution and cast his Enlarge spell on Trieshard, who, now almost 16 foot tall, was easily able to take the Mana Crystal and hand it to the Sorcerer. The party made their way back to the first cave to inspect the now blocked exit. Seeksmore deemed that the blockage wasn't too severe and after hefting his large axe up into the ceiling a few times, managed to work the blockage free. The rogue quickly produced a rope and grappling hook and before long the part was safely back in the fort. Not for long though as the collapsing floor had set of a chain reaction and the entire fort was ready to collapse on top of our heroes. They quickly exited the fort, just as it collapsed in on itself. After a brief moment to catch their breathe they set off back to Grey and to sell the Mana Crystal. Another Quest Successfully Completed! Below is a copy of the DM notes for this adventure: The Hook The party are carousing at the one-eared bugbear as they tend to do between escapades when a wiry looking Kai man notices a samurai amongst them. He approaches the parties table and introduces himself as Jita, he then turns to the samurai and speaks in the Kai language “Sire, I am amazed to see one of your noble blood here. I am but a mere trap-springer, but I could not bear the shame if were to return home and not be able to say I aided a samurai. Please allow me to point you towards a great treasure.” If the party is willing to listen he continues in common “Before a falling out over our brave leaders methods, I was part of a group that plundered an abandoned fortress in the foothills of the mountains nearby. We cleared it mostly of the creatures that had taken residence and their belongings, but one treasure remained behind. We discovered a natural cavern beneath the fortress, and within was a small tribe of troglodytes, worshipping a mana crystal. The horrid beasts found a Mana Crystal nearly a foot wide and placed it on a high spire as a shrine. My group feared to knock it down for risk of shattering it, and so it remains there still, perhaps unguarded. I understand it may have been found by another, but I feel honour bound to tell you this nonetheless” He then points out the way to this abandoned fortress. It is nearly a days journey east in small valley in the foothills that provides natural cover to the fortress, making it difficult to see without actively searching. If there is no samurai in the party, use a similar stranger, a friendly goliath, dwarf, desert elf or someone who would have a natural reason to see the party prosper. The Journey Along the way, the party encounter a hungry wolf. (Page 278 Pathfinder Beastiary) The Fortress “''You journey east for roughly a day, and by late afternoon you crest the gravelly hill and look down to see a small stone fortress, circular in design, with the keep being a small tower barely taller than the walls surrounding it. Most of the valley walls are steep scree slopes, but there are several paths down into the valley, most of them overgrown with thorny brambles. They look out of place, as if intentionally grown or planted. On second glance you notice a thin trail of smoke coming from the fortress courtyard.”'' The path down is blocked by heavy undergrowth which will give the party concealment (30% miss chance and +5 to stealth) but will also slow the party and force them to move slowly. Intentionally sliding down the scree slopes is faster but is risky, a one on acrobatics (-5 penalty due to slipperyness) will result in 1d3 slashing damage from the slate and sharp rocks. Even worse, sliding down will make it easy for the party to be spotted by the watchmen on the walls. It turns out the fortress has been retaken by some mysterious warriors, not wearing any insignia. (use stats for caravan guard on page 282 of pathfinder dungeonmastery guide) if they spot the players (+1 modifier, instantly if the players do not specify they are attempting to sneak) they will sound an alarm and begin firing with their heavy crossbows. There are 5 of them and they are spread evenly in a hexagonal pattern about the fortress walls, those who are not near the players will converge on the wall section that the players are nearest to on their first turn. There are two ways to enter the fortress, either to break through the main gate, or to slip through a fault in the walls along the south edge. Breaking through the main gate is loud and instantly alerts the guards. The gate is old incredibly and rusty, it has hardness 2, and 20 hitpoints. Noticing the breach in the wall requires a DC 20 perception check. If noticed read the following “''While examining the walls for any weaknesses you notice a pile of what look like bodies, troglodytes or lizardmen most likely. After making this abrupt discovery, you see that they are only just concealing a fissure in the old stone walls, which an adept sneaker could reach and crawl through.” Entering through the breach is easy for all party members except goliaths who need to make a DC 18 escape artist check. Luckily it is silent and can be attempted over and over if the party hasn’t been spotted. Approaching the breach requires getting to the walls unseen, DC 20 stealth in broad daylight, DC 16 if the party waits until night. Once at the walls, the party can circle around with no risk of being spotted. Once inside, it’s remarkably easy to avoid attention, the Guards are rank amateurs and do not expect any trouble from inside the walls, unless some loud clamour is made, it’s easy to reach the gate winch and open the way in. '''The Keep Gate' “''After dealing with the guards outside you approach the keep at the centre of the rocky courtyard and gaze upon the ancient oak doors. They are shod with iron and would be a challenge to open.”'' The great keep doors are large enough let an ogre or hill giant into the building and are barred from the other side. Attempting to open them is futile, but any loud noise (heavy knocking, attempting to kick or pry them down) will provoke a loud snort and grunt, then heavy footsteps as something inside wakes up. There is then a loud shifting and thud as a beam used to block the door is removed and the door is open revealing a goliath in hide armour with two battle-axes. The goliath will remark that the party are intruders and attack if not reasoned with. If there are other goliaths in the party, he will remark in Gol-Kaa “You are not familiar; you must be from another tribe?” Conversation will reveal his name is ‘Ovek Once-Forgotten’ and that he is without a tribe. If diplomacy is successful he will reveal that he was banished for murdering his brother, he did so because he tattooed over a marking that prophesied an untimely death, and his brother scolded him for it badly. He regrets both the murder and his banishment, but remains absolutely unapologetic for tattooing over his markings. If pushed on the topic he will begin a rant at how he should be the decider of his destiny, not Kavaki or any other god. He will ask why he should accept his fate if his fate is to be punished for simply being born. He has been hired by these warriors as a guard, they have promised that if he guards the crystal for them he can keep the fort as his home, and they will invite hill giants and other creatures that don’t care about his exile to come and serve him. He has obviously been duped, no mercenaries would have connections with the volatile hill giants, and no hill giant would serve anyone except out of fear. If the party can convince Ovek that he has been deceived he will leave and thank them for opening his eyes. Ovek Once-Forgotten CE Goliath Fighter lvl 2 STR:20 DEX:10 CON:16 INT:8 WIS:6 CHA:10 Atk: 1 Battleaxe, 1 Handaxe (+4 1d8+5 x3 crit, -1 1d6+5 x3 crit) AC: 14 (15 with dodge) HP: 20 (3) FEATS: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Battleaxe), Dodge SKILLS: Climb 2 (total 11) Perception (total -2) Sense motive (total 0) Inside the Keep “''Inside the keep you are truly underwhelmed, the entire building seems to one room, little more than a bunker with walls surrounding it, not a true fortress at all. In the centre of the room you see a low-burning campfire, whose smoke wafts through cracks in the roof. There are benches and tables set up all over the room, and crates and barrels of supplies. Whoever these mercenaries were, they wanted a strong foothold in the region, and these supplies could have lasted them months.”'' The room contains a treasure chest, hidden amongst the crates and barrels (DC 20 Perception) and it contains 1d4 potions of cure light wounds and a pair of bronze bracers that radiate transmutation magic if detect magic is cast. They give a minus -2 to attack rolls on melee attacks if worn. This curse remains even after they are removed. Only a remove curse spell can rid this penalty. On one of the tables is a pile of letters, all of them written in an odd cipher. Any character that can read common has the strangest feeling they recognise the symbols, players of human nobility will have an even stronger feeling, but it will take a DC 20 intelligence check, DC 15 linguistics check or DC 12 Knowledge (nobility) check to crack the code. They are written in a form of aristocratic cipher, one that is commonly used by the noble houses of Gras-Loond for medium security letters. It is not obscure enough to remain un-deciphered by other noble house agents, but is nearly impossible for the common man to read. They mention something about the noble house Estrande from the mainland having designs on Tsar-Loond and its mana crystals. The most recently written one reads “Ol’ Desmont has claimed he can build the blue-bloods some sort of magical weapon to blast through castle walls with enough Mana Crystals, But I would bet he’s just talking ape so they don’t realise he’s useless as a court mage and get rid of him. I reckons we should get all the Mana Crystals he asked for, no matter how outrageous it must have seemed, and reveal the bastard for the charlatan he is. And then we’d be rewarded for bringing back more valuables than they thought possible” P.S. I picked up these cursed gauntlets in the ruins I’m camping at. Poor Hull wore them and now even after his taken them off his hands, he still can’t swing a sword straight. I thought they might help you in that duel you been planning to have, If you can get them onto Rod’s hands somehow. -Haarken” The Cave “''After searching around the keep and finding everything you can, you notice a crack in the flooring along one wall, leading down into a natural cavern. This must be where the Mana Crystal Jita spoke of is hidden.”'' The players must lower themselves into the cave, it is 20 feet to the bottom and does the same damage as a basic pit trap if the party jumps or falls in. If they safely reach the bottom they immediately see a bluish glow down the cave. “''As you approach the glow you notice a mana crystal nearly a foot in diameter, sitting atop a tall stalagmite that has been flattened at the top to serve as a high pedestal. It is 15 feet high and beyond the reach of any one of you. If you were to pull it or push it off, it would certainly shatter. If you can reach it and get it down without breaking it, it would be the single most valuable crystal you have received thus far”'' It shouldn’t be that hard for the players to get the crystal down, but if they climb or are lifted to the crystal, they awaken a swarm of bats that immediately scatter, knocking them down (potentially harming them) and knocking the crystal aside. They must make a reflex save DC 22 for those below, and DC 20 for those above who were attempting to grab it. If the crystal is saved, it is a single large crystal worth 250 GP, if it falls it cracks with a loud thud and once the many worthless shards are brushed away it is revealed to have split into 2 medium sized shards, worth in total 200 GP. The players must then climb out and return to Grey. This adventure worth in total 2600 XP to be divided evenly amongst the party. Category:Quests